“Vyāsa Pūjā cannot be performed by a non-devotee who lacks knowledge of suddha bhakti (pure devotion). The offering of floral tributes to Srila Gurudev in the Vyāsā Pūjā is symbolic of the fulfilment of his heart’s desire through the rendering of immaculate service to God”.

Srila Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Tḥākura writes:

The devotional scriptures recommend observing the anniversary of Śrī Gurudev’s advent in four ways. (1) performing the Guru-pūjā ritual, (2) remembering him always, (3) praying for his grace, (4) and chanting his glories. The greatest impediment in carrying out the spiritual command is that conditioned souls are not capable of doing Guru-pūjā, nor of remembering him, nor praying for his grace and chanting his glories. The Guru and the Vaiṣnavas are essentially transcendental and as such are beyond human comprehension. The Supreme Lord is the transcendental Supreme Person; therefore, his worshippers too are transcendental.

The transcendental reality is by nature self-effulgent. How can the conditioned souls know the self-effulgent reality? The example of the sun is appropriate in trying to understand this. The sun is self-luminous. The only way to see it is through its own light. At nighttime, no one can see the sun by his own efforts. When the sun rises, however, it reveals itself as well as other things in the world. In like manner, the self-effulgent transcendental reality God reveals Himself to a completely surrendered soul. Unconditional surrender is the only way to realize unchallengeable Truth God.

This unconditional surrender or śaraṇāgati is the highest, most secret and conclusive teaching in the Gītā. But Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu indicates in his dialogue with Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda that the śaraṇāgati in the Gītā is external. Why? Because on the one hand, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to give a guarantee to the surrendered soul to rescue him from sin and, secondly, there is no mention of submission to the pure devotee the absolute grace incarnate counterpart of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Submission to a bonafide Guru the absolute counterpart of God is also essential to learn the sixfold process of śaraṇāgati since it can only be imparted by a realized saint, i.e, a bonafide guru or śuddha-bhakta.

Knowledge of the Divinity descends through the preceptorial channel. If the difference between knowledge acquired through the inductive process and that which descends through the deductive process is not understood, actual devotional life will not start.

The holy advent anniversary of my most revered śikṣā guru, His Divine Grace Parama-pūjyapāda Parivrājakācārya Tridaṇḍī Svāmi Śrimat Bhakti Promode Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja will be celebrated this year on Thursday, September 24, 1998. As I am a fallen soul, I am unable to narrate the infinite glories of a śuddha-bhakta. It is also beyond my capacity to express all that I have seen and understood through my external physical proximity with Parama-pūjyapāda Śrimat Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja. I was blessed in attaining a relationship with both my most revered dīkṣā guru, His Divine Grace Om 108 Śrī Śrīmat Bhakti-Dayita Mādhava Gosvāmī Mahāraja Viṣṇupad, and my śikṣā guru Parama-pūjyapāda Śrimat Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja after they had already become tridandi sanyāsīs. I have therefore no direct experience of Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s previous life, but I heard from my Guru Mahārāja and other revered god-brothers of my guru that Śrimat Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja was engaged by his Gurudeva Prabhupāda Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Tḥākura to work in the publication department of the Śrī Caitanya Math. He subsequently became the head of the Editorial Board. His accuracy and swiftness in writing correct Bengali, his deep and vast knowledge of scriptures, his wonderful ability to lucidly explain intricate points of devotional philosophy along with scriptural evidence, his scholarly writing on any spiritual or devotional subject universally known and adored by all Sārasvata Gaudiya Vaiṣnavas.

Our Guru-Mahāraja always showered him with profound respect as his elder godbrother. Śrimat Purī Gosvāmī Mahāraja was so closely connected with Śri Caitanya Gaudiya Math that he accompanied Guru Mahārāja at all Math’s function in all places. Once when Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja was with Guru Mahārāja at Śrī Purusottama Dham during the Rathayātrā festival, I was astonished to see him chanting the entire Rathayātrā chapter from Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta continuously from the Jagannātha Temple all the way to Gunḍicā. Whatever devotional forms he practices he performs with great devoutness and sincerity. Although endowed with extraordinary qualities, he has no vanity, but always remains humble. This is a very conspicuous quality in his character.

We have remarked his devoutness in the performance of Deity abhiṣeka and installations, temple consecration ceremonies, and all other devotional ritualistic ceremonies, with exacting attention to every detail. His performance of Śrī Vraja-mandala Parikramā on foot by holding the shoulder of a devotee at the age of 85 – is certainly unique. When I first joined Sri Gaudiya Math institution, I had the opportunity to go with Śrīmat Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja to different places in West Bengal. I was attracted to hear his inspiring speeches and his melodious, sweet-voiced kīrtana.

He is now a centenarian. So, the physical movement for him at this stage is neither advisable, nor indeed possible. Nevertheless, his blessings as president of the World Vaiṣṇava Association (WVA) will be a boost to that organization and a source of inspiration for all time to come.

Lastly, I pay my innumerable prostrated obeisances to the lotus feet of my most revered śikṣā guru, Parama-pūjyapāda Parivrājakācārya Tridaṇḍī Svāmi Śrimat Bhakti Promode Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, on the holy occasion of his advent anniversary and pray to him for his causeless mercy, his forgiveness of all offences which I may have committed knowingly or unknowingly, and that he bestows on me exclusive devotion to Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu and Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

Vaiṣṇavadāsānudāsa Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha
Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Math
Head Office-35 Satish Mukherjee Road, Calcutta-26